


Fight or Flight

by Mix Stitch (Synph)



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Implied Relationships, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-17
Updated: 2013-10-17
Packaged: 2017-12-29 16:39:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1007675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Synph/pseuds/Mix%20Stitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Damian heads off to patrol his own little section of Gotham, Bruce and Dick... talk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fight or Flight

**Author's Note:**

> This is for one of the unclaimed prompts for last year's Bruce/Dick fan fiction fest (number 31 i believe) done after the fact because I liked the prompt and it got me thinking about something specific (that probably barely has anything to do with the actual quote).

_"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss."_ [Douglas Adams]

*

The roof of Wayne Tower might not literally be at the top of the world, but as Dick braces himself with one foot on the wide rim stretching round the roof and looks down at Gotham City stretched before him, he has to admit that it might as well be.

High above the smog and the fog, Dick can see most of the city the way he never does from lower vantage points and it makes him remember one of the reasons why he stays. One of the reasons why he always comes back to the city he calls home.

“Are you going to head out or should I let you borrow my cape so that you can pose all night?” Bruce asks, speaking up unexpectedly from behind Dick.

The thread of amusement in Bruce's voice makes Dick’s face heat up. Dick makes a point of carefully getting back to a balanced stance on the rooftop itself before he topples off the roof headfirst.  Dick bounces over to Bruce, already beaming at the other man because embarrassment can only go so far.

“I thought you and Robin already took off,” Dick says once he’s toe to toe with Bruce and far away from the edge of the rooftop. “I was just...”

Dick trails off, unsure of how to explain what he’d been doing only a few moments before. He slides his hands along the sides of his suit, wishing in vain that he still had a utility belt or a costume with pockets so that he could do _something_ with his hands, and then rocks back on his heels.

“I was just waiting for the right moment to head out. Is everything okay with you, B?”

Bruce dips his head in a brief nod.

“Robin’s fine,” Bruce says. He curls his fingers in the edges of his cape and holds it fast in one hand, keeping the heavy black fabric from flapping in the wind. “I told him to go ahead since he has plans for later.”

Dick blinks up at Bruce.

“Plans,” he says, repeating the word because ‘plans’ and ‘Damian’ are rarely in the same sentence unless the sentence is ‘I had to cancel my plans again because of Damian’. “How does _he_ have plans?”

Bruce shrugs his shoulders and the cape jerks with the motion.

“I didn’t ask,” Bruce admits in a low voice. “I didn’t want to pry more than that. He has his phone on him and enough cash to see a movie if that's what he wants.”

A moment later, Bruce’s broad shoulders slump a little underneath his armor and the vulnerability of that gesture has Dick stepping forward into his space until the one loose side of Bruce’s cape slaps against Dick’s thigh. “I should have asked for more information, shouldn’t I?”

“Yeah,” Dick says, smiling so that there's no sting in his words. “With our luck, Robin’s probably going to wind up in trouble. It’d be nice to know where we’d have to head later.”

Dick reaches out and pats Bruce’s shoulder, grinning the whole time. “But I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Bruce’s lips press together and he frowns down at Dick.

“You _would_ say that after worrying me,” Bruce murmurs, shaking his head as the faintest of smiles settles on his face. “If he isn’t back home by midnight, Oracle has orders to follow the tracker in his shoulder.”

Blinking fast behind the lenses of his mask, Dick purses his own lips in a frown and pokes Bruce hard in the shoulder, not even flinching when his finger stings from the impact of armor hitting against armor.

“Bruce,” Dick blurts out, forgetting for a second that even though they’re on Wayne Tower where they’re all but surrounded by jamming and cloaking devices, that he shouldn’t use real names while they're suited up. “Don’t tell me you actually put trackers in the poor kid!”

“It was his idea,” Bruce points out, ever patient. “After what happened the last time I lost track of him--” and here, they both shudder at the memory of the night that nearly cost their family another child before Bruce pushes on. “He doesn’t go anywhere without someone monitoring his subcutaneous trackers. It’s for the best.”

“It’s _creepy_ ,” Dick says, snorting even though he fully understands the need for additional caution with Damian. "I think trackers might be a bit much, don't you? Give the kid some space."

“Would you rather I followed him around the city?” Bruce asks, jutting out his chin in that stubborn way that usually means that he’s all set for an argument. “He’s growing fast. I can’t shadow him everywhere until he’s an adult.”

Dick rolls his eyes and pats Bruce again, this time resting his hand right over the big bat symbol splayed across Bruce’s broad chest.

“Why not?” Dick asks, smiling because he can practically _see_ that one muscle jumping in Bruce’s cheek despite the cowl, “You did it to me all the time. You _still_ do it to me.” Dick flips his lenses up with one hand and lets Bruce see how serious he is. "Don't think I didn't notice you following me around when Red Arrow brought Little Arrow over for a playdate with Robin. You're many things, B, but subtle isn't one of them. Not any more at least..."

“I’m only monitoring you to make sure you’re safe,” Bruce insists.

“Sure you are,” Dick drawls with a roll of his eyes making Bruce grumble before Dick places his lenses back in place. It's mild enough, Bruce's overprotective nature, but Dick has had over a decade to get used to spying a bat-shaped shadow gliding away from nearby rooftops throughout college. To him, Bruce's behavior is sweet.

Damian... probably won't see it that way.

"We should head out."

Dick turns around and starts walking after that, moving in the direction of the roof’s edge and barely stopping to scoop his grappling hook off the gravel-covered surface. When he gets his foot on that same edge overlooking Gotham City proper, Dick turns to glance back at where Bruce remains standing several feet away.

“Are you coming with me or not? If we patrol together, it’ll go much faster and we can follow Damian around like proper superhero parents for the rest of the night.”

“No it won’t,” Bruce says, loud enough that Dick can hear him over the winds whipping around them. "And I thought you wanted to give Damian some space?"

Dick laughs and thumbs the switch on the grapple hook in his hand. “I did," Dick says, smiling wide as though he's never been happier in his life. "But that doesn't mean we can't check on him once in a while. Don't I get to change my mind once in a while?"


End file.
